Beyond Games: The sidelined PSVita browser

Most people think of the PSVita as a device that can only play games and while that holds true to some extent, it’s not the whole picture. Yes, of course you can emulate other consoles but the PSVita has some smartphone-esque appeal to it too. An application that comes bundled with the Vita, that we may only use for exploiting, is the browser.

What underneath?

Like the PSP, the Vita includes a browser too but the Vita’s browser is vastly superior. While the PSP’s NetFront browser wasn’t much more than a proof of concept (PoC), the one on the Vita isn’t half bad. Don’t be fooled! While it doesn’t score too high on the HTML5 test, it’s still a relatively capable browser. Of course, you may use WiFi to browse the Web, 3G on Vita 3G models and Ethernet on the Vita TV/PSTV. WiFi speeds are quite decent and sites load at an acceptable speed.

The HENkaku opener icon.. I mean browser icon

How capable is it?

While some may say that the Vita’s browser is bad and can’t handle most webpages, this is far from the truth. Popular websites like YouTube, Gizmodo, Twitter (although you get a dodgy mobile version), Facebook (same as Twitter) work quite well. Other websites, such as news sites, also work well but don’t expect too much. Watching videos is also usually a breeze which allows you to use the great screen on the Vita (especially on the 1k) to watch stuff.

What it can’t do

The browser is decent but it has some issues.. Some webpages don’t render properly (but they’re usually not too bad). Others force the browser to run out of memory while others simply crash the browser. Most HTML5 games are a tad too slow so don’t expect much on that front. Some issues may be mended by closing off open apps on your Vita as the browser lets you multitask with other apps.. for some reason. Just remember that you’re using a 512MB RAM device so don’t push it too far! There’s no flash player in case you were wondering!

The browser in action!

Conclusion

The Vita’s browser is good enough for most daily needs and probably won’t be too bad to use if you can’t use another portable device. Sadly, the browser probably won’t be updated (unless another WebKit exploit a la HENkaku surfaces) so it may become less usable over the years.

I'm a girl that's liked technology from day 1. Mostly interested in the PSVita/PSP scene but I've always modded my stuff when it's possible, that is :)Contact me via DM at @KawaiiAuroraA on Twitter if you have any questions/concerns about my articles or if you have any article requests.

What about the PSP’s browser, which by default use 2MB of cache or smth? While it wasn’t quite the same as the NDS’ browser, it was still pretty bad lul I remember the constant errors saying there was not enough memory to render the pages. x.x Running Opera Mini on PSPKVM felt far better.

I have to agree, the web-browser is far better than the one on PSP and is actually fairly usable. One shouldn’t obviously compare it to say Chrome or Safari on smartphones, but if you want to quickly search or find something online, it more than gets the job done without issues.

I feel like you’ve neglected the use of the back touched to scroll through webpages. This is the thing I’ve loved the most about the vita browser, no smears on the touchscreen and no obstructed view from your finger.

Definitely the killer feature of the rear touchpad for me – it’s a great idea for web browsing. It’s just a shame that the popularity of mobile phone cases prevents a similar touchpad on other mobile devices.

I likeed the app. When it went down some people on this very site were saying a) who would even watch vids on their vita b) you have vids working on browser stop crying. As it turns out, at least for me watching vids is worse experience now though not as bad. Crashes that sometimes occur are annoying tho.

It’s decent at it’s best, just can’t rely on it to search for some info while playing something for example. For a device that was thought to have portable internet access with the 3G models, it’s very sad.

The New 3DS’s browser on the other hand is amazing and works perfectly well. ;D

And no mention of turning off Javascript to load pages faster that don’t require it…. Also, Youtube (or something) still doesn’t let you watch videos exactly over an hour long on their mobile website, so you have to go to desktop using the menu on the top right. Then you have to fight with the video ad since the vita browser video player won’t do playlists or whatever. Which, with some channels, can be nearly impossible to get around, even by refreshing.

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So to those who i hear saying the vita browser is terrible, or, i cant do anything with it… you give me the impression you never had the enjoyment of using a truly bad browser on an under powered mobile device. beleave me i have done it and it isn’t pretty., I Really enjoy the vita’s browser. And thats me saying it while trying my hardest not to be a vita fan boy. I havnt found anything i couldnt do with it except for things that require certain input. I would like to see a browser on vita that could make use of the built in controls for html5 games or other types of media.

I’m not sure about strength of those points. First of all other browsers not being good, so be happy with what you have is problematic perspective. The fact that net browsing used to be bad doesnt excuse Vita browser flaws. I used psp browser, I used opera mini on mobile, even wep… I still think that at this day and even before it, vita browser isnt good. I had moments when I enjoyed it, but frustration prevails. As for things I could not do – videos, certain web pages, even wololo at times keeps reloading. The worst thing in my opininion is random hanging of browser. You close it, turn on an it still doesnt work, its just stuck, this drives me angry. Similar things also happen on some other web browsers on android but there is always more to choose from. I appreciate you trying to stay objective. Mayhaps homebrew comunity will be able to produce homebrew browser or updates that will improve vita experience.

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